Thursday, January 29, 2009

Meet Rose Owens; She Uses Twitter to Recruit

Hello Sharks! I am back from my 1-month blogging sabbatical, full of fresh ideas. I couldn't wait to share this profile with you. Rose is a colleague at Yahoo!, one of my favorite sharks. She and I became fascinated by Twitter last year and it's been fun to get to know each other long distance (she's in Sunnyvale, I'm in Seattle) and share Twitter experiences. During a phone call the other day, she mentioned that she has integrated Twitter into her recruiting process. This sparked my interest, so I asked if she would answer a few questions for the old blog, and she said yes!

How long have you recruited for Yahoo?
Recruiting technology since ’95, here at Yahoo since 4/07

What kinds of folks do you recruit?
Front End/BackEnd, Platform Engineers, Software Developers, Data Technology. I support THE CLOUD!

How long have you been on Twitter?
Since May 08 (this past summer) I was first introduced to Twitter at the Web2.0 conference in San Francisco.

Why do you tweet?
I am a NEWS JUNKIE, gadget and tech freak. I tweet for personal and professional information.

How often do you tweet?
On average once or twice a day.

What are your favorite twitter applications?
Twitpic, hellotxt.com and the application that shortens links(tinyurl)… I check the Twitter Fan Wiki for updates and new stuff!

You use Twitter throughout the recruiting process. Tell us how.
We had a candidate interviewing for multiple teams. The then VP of the Yahoo! Brickhouse team searched and started following the candidate on Twitter. We were able to gauge this candidate’s interest and interview experience real time. I was able to address the candidate’s concerns. Although the candidate did not accept the Brickhouse offer, he accepted an offer from one of my other teams and is still an employee today!

In another situation I was able to communicate with a candidate from England via twitter which made a difference as well. It was easier than setting up a phone call and I was available to answer questions and address concerns despite the time difference. Twitter did not replace the personal touch of talking directly to the candidate over the phone but rather enhanced the experience.

How do you promote yourself on Twitter?
I don’t think of promoting myself, per se… other than listing positions/links to positions I am recruiting or useful information for others. I consider myself a writer and have a LiveJournal account…I’m very personal with that account so Twitter is my “public” forum and I think I’m funny and witty…sometimes.


Who do you follow and why?
Initially I followed mostly Engineers and Technologist and searched/followed candidates. I also follow a couple of staffing folks who I consider industry leaders that are real good with information sharing. I am relationship building and some candidates have responded to my posts. I am also a news/information junkie.

I also added folks like @mchammer, @barackobama, @PennJillette( from the magical duo; Penn & Teller), some stores: ToysRUs and applications or events…based on my personal interest. Sometimes I follow folks because they follow me…I’m fascinated at the audience of followers - recent example: I started following Janis Krums, the guy that scooped the media and twittered THE FIRST picture of the Plane downed on the Hudson. He started following me.

I like to see folks opinions of products, software etc.

Tell us a bit about your experience at the inauguration.
I spent 8 days in DC preparing and enjoying the “vibe” of the change and hope Obama brings, with folks from all over the world. It was a very positive experience. Everyone was happy, festive, in good spirits and had their own reason for personally wanting to be on hand even if it was a jumbotron’s view away. There is a feeling about being there that is hard to describe and I shall never forget. I wanted to twitter my way through the whole experience however…It was a very physical experience standing/walking for hours at a time and it was way too cold to pull out my phone to tweet because It would mean taking off my gloves.



Favorite blogs?

Peopleshark
Jim Stroud
Chad Dickerson

Reeses or Snickers?
Snickers

Facebook or Twitter?
No comparison…Twitter for me is pure information. Facebook is an EASY way to consume a day.
PC or Mac?
PC is how I roll! (I only do MAC wit cheese!)


Yahoo or Google? (trick question)
The Goo is a bad word! YAHOO!!!

1 comment:

  1. Smart, talented, and on Twitter. Good post, Sharkie!

    ReplyDelete